“Interruptions”. That’s the word they use in the official record.

A polite way to indicate ructions.

Deputies shouting and roaring, roaring and shouting; drowning each other out.

After a while, it becomes tiresome. Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett does his best to keep TDs in line, but he’s lost some of his bite following recent savagings from Sinn Féin.

Gerry Adams doesn't like being interrupted. While others try to talk through the noise, the Sinn Féin leader prefers to stop, glare at the miscreant and ask the Ceann Comhairle to protect him.

He doesn’t like not being listened to either. If he feels the Taoiseach or Ministers aren’t giving him their undivided attention during Leaders’ Questions, he stops and issues a rebuke, resuming when they cease whispering and listen.

But even the precious Adams was stumped by the carry-on yesterday.

Once again, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin decided to major on the health service. In the case of Micheál Martin, who was concerned at the level of care for elderly patients, the Taoiseach responded with a list of what the Government is doing coupled with the usual swipes at Fianna Fáil’s unimpressive record in the area.

Adams gets the list treatment too. But in his case, the Taoiseach’s response is not about past performance but current activity.

It’s effective: when Gerry attacks health policy here, Enda retaliates with news of the latest health cuts and bed closures in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Féin is in power.

As Adams complained about Government underfunding of hospital budgets, Kenny replied by talking about water.

Water solutions

“You commented that the solution to water was to have a general taxation scheme to provide a proper water service. By that, you mean an increase in income tax and commercial rates and the introduction of a land tax . . . You might comment on that at the weekend when you have the opportunity,” said Enda, referring to Sinn Féin’s ardfheis.

Peadar Tóibín rushed to Gerry’s defence: “The money for water has to come from pockets one way or the other. It cannot be magicked up.”

The Taoiseach was warming to his theme. “When you’re up in Derry, you might also say that you regret the closing of 20 beds in the Bangor area, as announced on television last night.”

Opposition annoyance with his answers (“smart alecky” is what Adams called them) gathered pace.

It’s lovely to see Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin working so well together these days. Micheál and Gerry are like a tag-team when it comes to the health service. This might explain why Enda thought it okay to attack the leader of Fianna Fáil in the course of an answer to the leader of Sinn Féin.

Adams looked slightly baffled when his Opposition rival became the focus of the reply.

Back in the day

“We had a situation over here when the minister for health of the day, Deputy Micheál Martin, refused to accept any responsibility for the health budget at a time when €16 billion was being spent on it,” huffed Enda. “At least deputies Varadkar and Reilly faced up to the problem.”

Fianna Fáil deputies began to howl. Government backbenchers howled back. Soon, the only thing heard above the din was the Ceann Comhairle’s ineffectual yelps.

Adams went to open his mouth. He closed it again. He made moves to stand up, but didn’t get to his feet. It was an unmerciful din, but Gerry’s disciplined deputies didn’t join the shouting match.

Eventually, the Ceann Comhairle restored order: “Will yis sit down and not get excited. You’ll all be needing healthcare if you keep getting excited like that.”

Then he called on Kerry’s Independent, Tom Fleming, who brought up the plight of small farmers on commonage or marginal land.

Gerry stayed put, deciding, for once, that there was no point in complaining. But you could see he was irritated.

Fleming, meanwhile, wants measures brought in for these farmers who “are struggling against the odds” and finding it almost impossible to comply with a raft of EU directives.

Welsh model

They are mainly in the west of Ireland and can’t be compared with the big ranchers from Meath or the Golden Vale. Fleming suggested that Ireland should follow “the Welsh model.” (The Scandinavian model is so last year in Leinster House.)

The Taoiseach did his best to reply, but appeared to get his EU schemes mixed up.

“It’s not about Glas; it’s the single farm payment,” cried Mattie McGrath.

The farming wing of Fianna Fáil got roaring again. Does the Taoiseach have a bull’s notion at all?

The farming wing of Fine Gael hollered back.

Then Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who comes from a farming community in Galway, bellowed "Have a look at the Welsh model!"

“Do you know what he’s talking about?” Micheál Martin asked Enda.

And things became rather fraught again.

Into the noise wandered Sinn Féin's quiet man, Michael Colreavy from Leitrim. The roaring may have moved on to a different topic, but he was still annoyed over poor Gerry's treatment.

“On a point of order, I didn’t hear one word of the Taoiseach’s response to Deputy Adams’s supplementary question . . .” he began, more in sorrow than anger.

“I do my best to try to control the noise,” shrugged the Ceann Comhairle.

“It’s unfair,” sniffed Colreavy. “I couldn’t hear one word. I don’t know whether the Taoiseach answered the question or not because of the racket that was going on here.”

Adams, looking very put upon, maintained a stoic silence.

Limited options

The Ceann Comhairle repeated he was doing his best. “I can’t physically go down and restrain them,” he protested to raucous laughter as the noise levels rose again.

“All I can do is appeal to them from the chair. But I want to tell you, I want to tell you something, deputy. They ain’t doing themselves any favours because the public watching in get on to our office complaining bitterly about them. So those who continue to shout here are not doing themselves any good.”

So there.

Still. At least Gerry can look forward to a good reception in Derry.